Bandon happy to have their cheese back

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BANDON, Ore. -- The Bandon Cheese Factory was the place to stop when going through Bandon. Now, Face Rock Creamery is ready to bring back the cheese.

Greg Drobot owns the creamery, and says he hopes the business will take up right where the old cheese factory left off. "I was aware of the history of Bandon Cheese, how the old cheese factory did, and what a tradition it was," he said. "I was interested in bringing that back."

He's getting some help from top cheese maker Brad Sinko, who's helped open Beecher's Cheese in Seattle, and another factory in New York. "Hopefully we can get a reputation for being a quality cheese and helping out local farmers, taking their milk and keeping them in business," said Sinko.

Officials with Face Rock say they are ready to start production.

They've received thousands of gallons of milk and cultures, and are ready to go to work.

They say it doesn't just stop with the cheese. "What we're going to be doing is taking butter fat out of it and making butter from the whey," Sinko said. "We're recycling whey as much as we can."

Those at Face Rock say they're not the only ones overjoyed with the creamery coming back.

They say people in town are pretty happy about having the business there. "You can see an extra skip in people's step in this town," said Sinko. "They're very very happy that it's back."